The transmission of unsolicited and unwanted email messages (“SPAM”) seriously detracts from the utility of the email system. Although many methods have been devised which attempt to block or segregate SPAM without affecting desired messages, those methods have not been successful. As long as there are no serious legal consequences to the transmission of SPAM, the practice can be expected to continue to grow, placing ever increasing burdens on email system users.
The present invention is predicated on a number of related observations:
The bulk of unwanted email consists of substantially the same message being sent to very large numbers of people. If an incoming email could reliably indicate, in some way, how many different addressees were receiving the same message, it would be possible to usefully identify and segregate unwanted email that was being mass-mailed to large numbers of other recipients.
If there was a way in which persons who transmit unsolicited email to large numbers of people could be subjected to potential civil or criminal liability in a way that does not require legislation that might impair freedom of speech, the risk of sending improper email could be made to outweigh the monetary rewards that now stimulate the growth of SPAM.